


The Parker House (or: Dinner Goeth Before the Parade)

by LavenderTheMenace



Series: Taking Pride [1]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Genderqueer Character, Queer Families, Queer Themes, Slice of Life, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 11:54:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19109137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderTheMenace/pseuds/LavenderTheMenace
Summary: June is a big deal in the Parker household, and Pippin is just excited for the parade - NOT because MJ will be there, Uncle Ben. A reflection on queer family, community, and home from Pippin's perspective.Featuring non-binary Peter Parker (Pippin), trans Uncle Ben, and queer community as family.





	The Parker House (or: Dinner Goeth Before the Parade)

**Author's Note:**

> Just to note for those unfamiliar with gender neutral pronouns, Pippin uses the gender-neutral xe/xem/xyr/xemself. If I messed up at any point using them, let me know - I use they/them or she/her pronouns myself, and I went back and forth on Pippin's pronouns a few times in the writing of this. Cheers!

****The month of June, for as long as Pippin could remember, had been a big deal in the Parker household. It marked not only Uncle Ben’s birthday, but also the anniversary of the first time he and Aunt May met, of Uncle Ben’s name change, and of Pippin coming out. All in all, it was a busy month. One filled with _almost_ more sweets than even Pippin could eat, thanks to Uncle Ben’s propensity to bake a commemorative cake at the drop of a hat.

Key word _almost_.

So yeah, June had always been a big deal in Pippin’s family. Xyr earliest memory was of riding on Aunt May’s shoulders, waving a flag while May and Ben held a banner with other adults, Pippin shouting right alongside them as they made their way down the street. Pippin thought xe must have been around five or six then, still getting used to living with xyr aunt and uncle.

Now, at a very grown-up fifteen years of age, Pippin was excited to start xyr sophomore year of high school, for completely academic reasons. No matter what Uncle Ben said about how pretty Liz from Academic Decathlon was, or how witty MJ was. Which, okay, yeah those things were objectively _true_ , but they weren’t why Pippin was eager for school to start up again. Xyr interest was completely scientific, and mathematical, and - and _very academic, Uncle Ben stop laughing._

Somehow, Pippin thought, helping Aunt May put the finishing touches on her nut loaf, xe didn’t think xe was going to win that argument. Aunt May ruffling Pippin’s curly mop of hair did nothing to dissuade the teenager from that conclusion. Ben had brought May over to the Dark Side, then, and convinced her that Pippin had a crush.

_Seriously_ , Pippin thought. You invite a girl to a sleepover without the third member of your friend trio _once_ and your parents never let you forget it. Xe was beginning to get why MJ just didn’t talk to people. Ben was slowly convincing all of his and Aunt May’s friends that Pippin had a crush, and they all kept _cooing_ over the idea and talking about how their little Pippi was growing up.

It was literally The Worst™. Ever.

“Ready for tomorrow, kiddo?” Aunt May asked, pulling a bag of veggies from the microwave and pouring them into the bowl. Pippin grinned. Xe had had xyr clothes laid out since xe woke up that morning, and Uncle Ben was going to let xem use his makeup to paint a flag on xyr cheek. Plus, they were picking up MJ and Ned on the way to the pre-parade assembly point.

“‘Course, May,” xe said, totally calmly and not blushing at all from thinking about xyr friend xe definitely did not have a crush on, bringing the nut loaf to the table. “Is Aubrey gonna be at Pride this year? Or is she still in - in Seattle, right?”

Uncle Ben answered. “Nope,” he said, setting out napkins. “She was in Montreal, but good try, Tiger. She’ll be there bright and early, don’t you worry ‘bout it.”

Pippin whooped. “Awesome!”

Aubrey was the closest person Pippin had to a conventional aunt or uncle, since xe lived with xyr biological ones. She and Uncle Ben had been roommates in college at ESU, and she had introduced Ben to May at Pride their second summer of undergrad. It was, according to May, love at first sight. Ben said he _fell_ hard for her, which always made May groan and bury her face in her hands, because when they met, Uncle Ben had _literally_ tripped over his feet and fallen when he tried to shake her hand. Aubrey would always cackle at the joke, and May always, without fail, told her not to encourage him.

It was a little hypocritical, though - for their anniversary last year, May had commissioned an artist friend to paint a picture of her and Ben’s first meeting. With him mid-fall. Uncle Ben had it framed above the entryway table. Aunt May lit up every time she walked in and saw it.

Aubrey travelled all over, designing ballet costumes. She always brought the best presents when she was in New York, inevitably taking Pippin on the coolest day trips to meet her friends so Ben and May could have “date nights,” and she looked like a poet, or a fashion model. All long, gangly limbs clothed in black and heavy-lidded, painted dark eyes peeking out from behind her artfully messy pixie cut. She was a stark contrast to Aunt May’s barefaced, bohemian style, and Pippin loved seeing them laugh together, looking like a photograph of day and night.

Aubrey called the Parkers every week to tell them about her work, and bemoan her latest girlfriend to Uncle Ben. (Said girlfriends were, inevitably, ballerinas only working with such-and-such ballet company for a season, or were only experimenting, or were doubly _prima donnas_.)

The adults, of course, thought Pippin didn’t know about that gossipy part of Aubrey’s weekly calls, usually sending xem out of the room before it came up, but really. The phone speakers were loud, and for all that xe needed glasses, Pippin had really good hearing.

Also, they lived in New York. The walls were thin.

On top of being an old family friend, Aubrey was just plain _cool_. She taught Uncle Ben how to do makeup to look more masculine when he came out, before he’d started HRT. She had been visiting when Pippin was still trying to find words for xemself, and her stories of her friends on and off of the gender binary captivated Pippin, made xem feel not quite so out of place. Reminded xem that the wider community outside the Parkers and their friends was filled with people both more and less like each of them.

(Ben tried really hard, but his explanations of how mtf and ftm transitions and medical options and everything just didn’t _click_ completely with Pippin, and at the time, xe didn’t know how to express that. Xe weren’t a boy, and xe weren’t a girl. Xe were just Pippin. It was very frustrating all around. But like Aunt May always said, helping each other was what friends and family were for. Pippin was glad for friends - _family_ \- like Aubrey.)

Aubrey was patient, and had a talent for listening, according to Aunt May. Pippin thought that was an accurate assessment. So needless to say, Pippin was excited to see her tomorrow and to catch up, to hug her, and tell her all about xyr friends and how the school year had ended. (Also, yeah, to brag about MJ dragging xem into glitter-bombing that bully Flash Thompson’s locker the day they had to be cleaned out and keys turned in.)

Taking her place at the table, Aunt May pulled Pippin down to sit as well and laughed. “Oh my G-d, Pippi, you’re going to wake Mr. Langis upstairs, he’s got night shift this month!”

Pippin rolled xyr eyes. Mr. Langis in the apartment above theirs was always in a sour mood, whether he slept or not. Still, xe didn’t want to disappoint May. “Sorry, Aunt May,” xe apologized.

“So,” Ben asked, spooning some green beans onto his plate, “wake-up still six tomorrow, May?”

Dishing xemself up some fruit salad, Pippin basked in the warmth of the kitchen, letting xyr aunt and uncle’s conversation wash over xem. It was a good night to be home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, this is the first in a series of short fics that may or may not become chaptered pieces in honor of Pride month 2019. Feel free to comment or otherwise let me know if you have any requests.  
> \- Lav


End file.
